Post-graduation holds many opportunities, including taking some time to go abroad
BY TESS WILLIAMS
Staff Reporter
If you’ve ever wanted to travel abroad but also need a strong source of income, working abroad after college could be a great option for you. Sometimes studying abroad in college is not feasible and traveling abroad after college can seem like an unachievable dream. However, there are hundreds of programs and thousands of jobs that allow you to work abroad after college and other options that give you the freedom to travel while still making a stable income.
One way to study abroad after college would be to consider applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship. The Fulbright Scholarship is a U.S. student program that allows students and non-students to travel abroad on a grant in exchange for their time working abroad. Forms of working abroad include research, teaching and more professions which can be viewed on their website.
The Fulbright Scholarship partners with 140 countries that are open to travel to. You can apply for this program as an undergraduate or graduate student or even a professor. You can also apply if you’re not a student. However, you do need at least seven years of work experience. You also do not need to be a U.S. citizen or speak English to apply to this program. There is more information available on the Fulbright Scholarship website, and this could be a great option to look into if you’re interested in both learning a language and working abroad.
Another great way to work abroad is to become a language teacher. Becoming an English language teacher is a great way to travel to many countries in the world. Programs such as Council on International Educational Exchange offer paid teaching positions for native English speakers that allow them to teach in countries such as Spain, South Korea and China while earning a salary that compensates for mainly housing costs.
However, when considering applying for teaching positions abroad, it’s important to keep in mind that you may need to get a teaching license, which is different from a teaching degree. Many times, programs like these require a Teach English as a Foreign Language certification before you can begin to teach abroad.
TikToker Patrick Smith documents his life as an English teacher in Japan. Smith is a Black male teacher who makes skits about the quirky moments in his teaching career. Although his videos are more comical than informative, they do provide valuable insight into what it’s like to teach in a foreign country.
There are also ways to fund travel abroad by working a remote job. This allows you to travel anywhere in the world you want while still making money. The great thing about this option is that there is no set time that you have to stay in a place and you can simply move around and take your job with you.
Some great options for remote jobs are travel blogger, free-lance journalist, travel writer, marketing, finance, tele-health and really anything else you can think of. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that almost any job can be converted to a remote one. Some great websites to find remote work on are Indeed, Handshake and on other travel bloggers’ websites to find information.
One travel website that provides information on remote jobs, along with ways to work abroad, is called Packs Light and is run by Gabby Beckford. Beckford is a travel blogger and nomad who shares her life of travel as a solo Black female traveler.
If you plan on traveling alone, it’s vital to look into travel perspectives from people of a variety of genders, sexualities and races. It’s also important to get different perspectives for your own personal safety so that you can pick a place to travel to where you will feel safe and comfortable as yourself.
It’s also important to consider that jobs such as teaching abroad or the Fulbright Scholarship are full-time commitments. These jobs will allow you to stay in one place and experience the culture of a specific area. However, if you want to experience multiple cultures and hop from country to country, freelance and remote job working may be your best options.
There are so many options out there that allow you to work and travel abroad, which could be an amazing opportunity to consider if you have some time to spare after graduation.
